An active volcano in Anchorage, Alaska, that has been spewing ash and lava for the past six weeks reached new levels of intensity on Tuesday as reports indicate that the cinders were shot 5 miles into sky and landed in a nearby town.
The eruptions from Pavlof Volcano, on the Alaskan Peninsula about 590 miles southwest of Anchorage, were its most powerful since it started showing seismic activity in mid-May, scientists at the federal-state Alaska Volcano Observatory said.
The latest series of more-powerful ash-producing blasts from the crater of the 8,261-foot (2,518-meter) volcano started late on Monday and continued overnight into Tuesday, scientists said.
The ash reportedly reached heights of 28,000 feet at times, disrupting several commercial flights. Anchorage-based PenAir canceled one flight and rerouted others, an official confirmed to Reuters.
In addition, debris has fallen over King Cove, a town of about 900 people located 30 miles southwest of Pavlof, scientists said.
The National Weather Service issued an ash advisory for the region, warning of breathing problems for people with respiratory ailments and potential damage to exposed electronic equipment.
In related news, two other volcanos in relatively nearby areas recorded higher than usual activity in the last month. The Veniaminof Volcano, located 485 miles southwest of Anchorage, recorded a low-intensity eruption earlier this month, but debris didn't exceeded beyond the volcanos 8,225-foot (2,507-meter) summit. Cleveland Volcano, 940 miles southwest of Anchorage, also began an on-and-off eruptive phase in mid-2011 but hasn't produced an explosive eruption since May 6.
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